Garment hanger locking device



June 11,1957 M. WEXLER ARMENT HANGER LOCKING DEVICE Filed Jan. 14, 1954 INVENTOIC 41- foe/v57.

Un d S a e. P m-'0,

GARMENT HANGER LOCKING DEVICE Morton Wexler, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application January 14, 1954, Serial No. 404,067

1 Claim. (Cl. 24-231) This invention relates to a' locking device for a gar ment hanger and more particularly to a positive, simplyconstructed locking device for use with well-known garment hangers provided with plain wire-type hanger hooks.

Garments are usually hung from a horizontal support rod'by garment hangers which includes a plain, wellknown wire hook of uniform section for engaging and receiving the support rod. As a result when adjoining garments and their associated garment hangers are removed from the supporting rod, the adjacent garment hanger is often turned and slightly lifted so that it slips from the supporting rod and the adjoining garment and garment hanger falls to the floor. Obviously, this results in 'soiling, wrinkling and sometimes damaging the fallen garment. Sometimes it is desired to remove a garment Still another object of this invention is to disclose and provide a locking device for a garment hanger which is inexpensive and easy to manufacture and which may be utilized to effectively and positively retain a garment hanger on a supporting rod.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be readily apparent from the following descripton of the drawngs in which exemplary embodiments of this invention are shown.

In the drawings: I

Fig. 1 is a side view of a well-known type of garment hanger provided with a locking devicefembodying this invention. 1 v

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the locking device and hanger hook means shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken in the plane indicated by line IlI-III of Fig. 2. i

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view partially-in section illustrating a modification of this invention;

In Fig. 1 there is shown a well-known type of garment hanger generally indicated at 10 which comprises a downwardly curved garment supporting member'll. A plain wire-type hook means 12.includes a shank portion 13 which extends through a central opening in the member 11 for pivotal connection thereto; The shank portion 13 is integral with a hook portion 14 provided with a free end 15, said hook portion 14 being adapted to from a garment hanger while the hanger remains on the supporting rod. In such instances removal of the garment from the hanger may cause the garment hanger to twist and slip from the supporting rod and such hanger must then be picked up from the floor and replaced on the supporting rod.

. Prior proposed means for securely and positively retaining a garment hanger on a supporting rod have included specially constructed hangers or hanger locking devices. Such specially constructed prior proposed garment hanger retaining devices known to me have been incapable of use or adaption to the well-known type of simply constructed hanger provided with a bent Wire hook of uniform cross-section. Such prior proposed garment hangers were'ex-pensive to manufacture and as a result were not practical for commercial use.

This invention contemplates as its primary object the provision of an improved positive locking device for a Well-known commonly used garment hanger wherein the locking device may be quickly and readilyinstalled on. the hook portion of such a hanger. Another object of this invention is to disclose and provide a locking device for a commonly used garment hanger wherein the locking device is provided with a readily removable clip cooperable with a shank portion of a common Wire type hook so as to permit ready removal of the garment hanger from a supporting rod.

A further object of this invention is to disclose and provide a locking device for a garment hanger including a flexible tubular member adapted to be sleeved over the free end of a wire-type hook portion for frictionally grasping said hook portion and provided with a clip means at its other end for releasably grasping the shank portion of the hanger hook.

A still further object of this invention is to disclose such a locking device for a garment hanger wherein the flexible tubular member may be sleeved over a substantial portion of the wire hook portion for positioning an end section of said tubular member over a supporting rod whereby the weight of a garment held by said garment hanger will assist in securement of said locking device to said hook portion.

extend over and partially encircle a horizontal garment hanger supporting rod 16. The wire-type hook means is usually made from a precut length of wire of selected gauge and of uniform section throughout its length. The hook means may be an integral part of a bent wire garment hanger.

A locking device generally indicatedv at 18 embodying this invention is shown connecting free end 15 of the hook portion and the shank portion 13 below the supporting rod 16. The locking device 18 thus closes the opening between the free end 15 and the shank portion and prevents the hanger hook 12 from becoming disassociated with the supporting rod 16 in. any position of the garment hanger.

The locking device 18 comprises a flexible open-ended, tubular member 19 which may be made from a-selected length of suitable tension coil spring stock. The inner diameter of the tubular member 19 may be approximately of the same dimension as the outer diameter of the wire hook portion 14. One end portion 20 of the flexible tubular member 19 may thus be sleeved over the free end 15 until a substantial section of the hook portion 14 is enclosed by the tubular member 19. The sleeving of a tubular member 19 made of a coil spring over the" hook portion 14 provides for frictional grasping of free end portion 15 by the coils of the spring in the event tubular member 19 is pulled downwardly since the inner diameter of the coil spring will tend to contract. Such frictional grasping of the hook portion by the tubular member 19 prevents accidental removal thereof. As shown in Fig. 2, the tubular member 19 extends over and across the supporting rod 16 so that the weight of a garment carried by the hanger 10 will further assist frictional grasping of the hook portion 14 by the spring coils of member 19.

The other end portion 21 of the tubular member 19 may receive for a short distance therein an end 22 of a substantially rigid wire element 23. Preferably the end portion 21 of the tubular member 19 may be secured as by welding at 24 to the wire element 23. It is understood that the connection between the end 21 of the tubular member 19 and the wire element 23 may be made in any other suitable manner.

The wire element 23 may be bent to any suitable configuration and as illustrated corresponds somewhat Patented June 11,1957

are-5,095

to the bend joining the shank portion and the hook portion of'th'e' hangerhook '12. About lower end portion 25 of the wire element 23 may be disposed at approximately-right angles to the adjacent section of the wire element- 23. and may carry a clip means 26 adaptedto be releasablywsriapped over shank portion 13 of the hanger hook.

The clip means' 26 may include a pair of resilient spring members 27 secured as at 28 in any convenient manner as by. welding to the end 25 of the wire element 23. The spaced resilient members 27 are provided with outwardly diverging ends 29 and centrally opposed concave sections 30 adapted to conveniently receive and hold the. shank portion 13 therebetween. It is readily apparent that the clip, means 26- may easily engage the shank portion 13 by pressing the clip means 26 against the shank portion 13. so that resilient members 27 may be spread apart and the shank portion 13 received between the concave sections 30. The members 27 of the clip means thus frictionally and resiliently grasp the shank portion 13.

It will thus be understood from the above descriptionthat a novel locking device for a garment hanger has been provided which may be readily and conveniently utilized with well-known garment hangers provided with standard wire-type hanger hooks. The tubular member 19 is easily and readily sleeved over the free end of the hanger hook, but resists removal therefrom by reason of the frictional grasping of the wire hook portion by the coils of the spring-from which the tubular member is made. The clip' means 26 is readily snapped on and off the: shank portion 13.

In Fig. 4 a modification of the locking device of this invention is shown wherein a clip means 26 is provided with resilient spring members 27 configured as described above for engagement with a shank portion 13' of a hanger hook. In this modification the clip means 26' includes a hollow'ferrule portion 32 with internal annular rings 33. A flexible tubular member l9' is connected to said clip means 26 by forcibly inserting one end thereof into the ferrule 32 so that the internal annular rings 33 may frictionally grasp and retain the said end of tubular member 19 therein.

The tubular member 19'. in this modification may be made of a. resilientfiexible'plastic material having an inner diameter of approximately the same dimension as the outerdiamcter of the free end of a wire hook portion. The-other end of the plastic resilient tubular member 19' maybe sleeved over a free end of a hook portion of a garment hanger in the manner as described in the first embodiment so that the tubular member 19 may frictionally grasp the hanger portion of the garment hanger hook.

It will thus be understood that a locking device for a garment hook'may be constructed from a single tube of flexible resilient plastic material which may be connected at one end to the hanger hook portion and which may be connected at its other end to suitable clip means for releasably fastening the locking device to a shank portion of a hanger book.

There is thus provided a simply constructed, efiective locking device for a garment hanger hook which will positively retain a garment hanger on its supporting rod and which will permit ready removal of the garment hanger from such rod when desired.

It is understood that the locking device is readily removable from the hanger hook. In the event one hanger becomes damaged or nonusable, the locking device can be reclaimed and used again on another hanger. The locking device prevents hooks of adjacent hangers from overlapping on the support rod and thus facilitates arrangement and spacing of garment hangers. Furthermore, accidental falling of one hanger is prevented while removing an adjacent garment or hanger. It is also understood that the device may be employed on hooks made of plastic or other material as well as books made of Wires.

It is understood that various modifications and changes may be made in the locking device described above which come within the spirit of this invention, and all such changes and modifications coming within the scope of the appended claim are embraced thereby.

I claim:

As an article of manufacture, a readily attachable locking means for a coat hanger having a wire-type hook with a hook end and with a shank spaced therefrom; said locking means consisting of a resilient tubular gripping means having an open end to receive a hook end thereinto for cnsleevement of said gripping means over said hook end; a clip means at the other end of the locking means including a pair of expandable, contractable opposed spring members to releasably snap on said shank; and a member interconnecting the clip means and the gripping means to span the space between a hook end and a shank of a wire-type hook when said locking means is attached thereto.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 707,533 Albee Aug. 26, 1902 2,072,017 Wisneski Feb. 23, 1937 2,122,309 Beimler June 28, 1938 2,164,941 Rentchler July 4, 1939 2,210,490 Leonardson Aug. 6, 1940 2,278,912 Busse Apr. 7, 1942 2,392,257 ONeil et al. Jan. 1, 1946 2,476,730 Hess July 19, 1949 2,483,618 Brill et a1. Oct. 4, 1949 

